IND vs SA 1st Test 2021 Day 5 Stat Highlights: India Register Historic Victory in Centurion With 113-Run Win Over South Africa
With a day's play completely washed out, India made quick work of this match to memorably beat South Africa in less than four days to cap off what has been a fantastic year for Kohli's side in Test cricket.
The fortress has been breached and India have done it, becoming the first-ever Asian team to beat South Africa in Centurion, as Virat Kohli's men blew away the hosts by 113 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series. Coming into the series, many would have held India to the favourites considering the fantastic performances they have had overseas and truly they disappoint. With a day's play completely washed out, India made quick work of this match to memorably beat South Africa in less than four days to cap off what has been a fantastic year for Kohli's side in Test cricket. IND vs SA 1st Test 2021 Highlights Day 5: India Win by 113 Runs, Take 1-0 Lead in Three-Match Series
Coming to the game, India needed six wickets to win after Jasprit Bumrah's late burst on Day 4 left the Proteas on the ropes. India got off to a flying start when Bumrah once again made an impact, dismissing the resilient South Africa skipper by trapping him in front. And their chances of winning increased a lot when Mohammed Siraj got Quinton de Kock edge one on to his stumps. Mohammed Shami, who ended with eight wickets in the game, got rid of Wiaan Mulder right before lunch and followed it up after the break, sending back Marco Jansen.
That really started the slide that South Africa could not arrest at all, with Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi falling in quick succession and becoming Ravichandran Ashwin's first and second wickets of this game. Temba Bavuma, remained unbeaten on 35 at the other end. India wrapped it up in a short while after lunch and KL Rahul was named Man of the Match for his fantastic 123 in the first innings. It was indeed a fantastic year for India in Test cricket, starting with the historic Test series win in Australia and finishing off with this impressive victory over South Africa in Centurion.
Take a look at some stat highlights of the match:
#India defeated South Africa for the first time ever in Centurion, breaching the hosts' fortress. Virat Kohli became the first Indian and Asian captain to win a Test match against the Proteas in this venue.
#Virat Kohli is the only Indian captain to win two Test matches in South Africa, also recording his seventh win in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.
#Kohli became the first Indian captain to win two Boxing Day Test matches.
#He also won his 40th match as Test captain.
#Rahul Dravid has now won a Test match in South Africa both as a player and as a head coach.
#With this victory, India won their fourth Test in SENA countries in 2021, the most they have done in any year.
With this match done and dusted, the focus of both sides would now turn to the second game, which begins on January 3 in Johannesburg. South Africa would look to bounce back in the series while India would once again aim at repeating their heroics from 2018 at this same venue, when they had outplayed the hosts on a difficult pitch.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2021 05:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).